View report page

87
German Measles
While cases of german measles most commonly occur when the usual
variety is prevalent, in this last year the 50 cases about which intimations
were received bore no relation to the prevalence of measles in the earlier
part of the year, the distribution of the cases being even throughout the
three school terms, although there was little of the ordinary type of measles
in the second and third terms.
Influenza.
This district was involved in the wave of influenza which attacked
the country in the earlier part of the year. The first intimation of this
district being affected was when almost half the pupils in the boys secondary
modern school were absent with pharyngitis in the third week in January.
By the middle of February outbreaks of an influenza-like illness were
attacking those in residential schools, the day nurseries and service units
throughout the country. While the rate of attack of those in these establishments
was 40 - 60% there was at that time little evidence of any general
involvement of the pupils. The next phase was the occurrence of localised
outbreaks of a respiratory disease in many parts of the country, especially
the North, the Midlands and the London region. In some of those,
Virus A (Asian) was isolated, in others Virus B. The notifications of pneumonia
increased, and then the deaths from pneumonia and bronchitis.
The numbers of deaths from influenza then rose sharply, these being
mostly people over 55. For instance of the 1,121 deaths in the week
ending 21st February, 952 were of persons of 55 or over. At this stage
the mortality level of the outbreak was less than half that of the peak of
1951 and was similar to the level of the outbreak of the winter of 1953
and of the autumn of 1957. Towards the end of February, the peak of
the outbreak had passed and the yellow warning of the Emergency Bed
Service, which had been introduced, was cancelled on the 10th March.
In this district the wave was at its highest about the third and fourth
weeks of February.
Influenza as such is not notifiable but influenzal pneumonia is; as
also is acute primary pneumonia. The notifications of influenzal pneumonia
for each of the weeks from that starting week ending January
3rd were—0, 1, 6, 5, 5, 20, 6, 4, 1, 1, 1. The notifications of primary
pneumonia in the corresponding weeks were—3, 3, 6, 3, 3, 2, 2, 0, 0, 1, 0.
Of the 18 deaths from influenza during the year, most were of persons
of over 55 years of age; 8 were over 75.
TUBERCULOSIS
Notification
The improvement in the general situation inregard to tuberculos is
in the country as a whole continues. The fall in the numbers of notifications
each year nationally is seen also in this district. For each year since 1955
the numbers of primary notifications have fallen, the actual figures being
160, 141 and 118; for last year the figure was 102. The same improvement
is seen in the figures that give the numbers of those notified here